The proud papa speaks: Leaving the stage door late Tuesday night, after his performance in Broadway's The Philanthropist, Matthew Broderick told PEOPLE about the birth of his and Sarah Jessica Parker's twins, "I'm very happy. I don't know what else to say."

He added, "I've seen them already. I just got back" from Ohio, where the girls were born Monday.

The show's Steven Weber also told PEOPLE that Broderick's "very pleased. He's happy … and he's looking forward to having them home."

Nursery Ready

Though the twins arrived earlier than their mid-summer due date, their parents were well prepared for their arrival. "They've been gearing up for the birth of the girls, getting everything ready," one pal tells PEOPLE. "They are very excited. This is a big thing for them."

The couple have been readying the nursery for their new daughters, Marion Loretta Elwell and Tabitha Hodge Broderick. They recently cleaned house at their West Village brownstone, removing boxes filled with dishes, photos and musical equipment to make room for their expanding brood.

Meanwhile, friends say Broderick, 47, and Parker, 44, will shower their new daughters with love. "They absolutely adore [son James Wilkie, 6,] so the two kids who came into the world [Monday] are going to be very happy," said actor Gary Beach, who has known Parker since she was 11 years old and, in his own Tony-winning role (as the madcap director), costarred with Broderick in The Producers.

"Matthew loves to devote time to his son, and two … girls? That's wonderful," says Beach. "It's really going to be exciting for them."

Lucky Kids

"Sarah Jessica and Matthew are great parents," says another friend, actress Kristin Johnson. "James Wilkie is the funniest, smartest kid ... so any addition would be lucky, lucky kids."

Sex and the City costumer Patricia Field, reached Tuesday on vacation in Greece, agrees. "Kids born to SJ and Matthew … are already miles ahead of the norm. They have so much opportunity. It's a lucky, fortunate child – children!"

Field also muses about the fun Parker is apt to have with her girls. "I think they'll be very imaginatively dressed, a product of her great imagination," says the costumer. But in keeping with Parker's down-to-earth appeal, "I don't think they'll be wearing Oscar de la Renta for a little while."

Also excited about the new babies are the residents of Martins Ferry, Ohio, where the girls were born with the help of a surrogate. "This is a big item for our town right now," says Martins Ferry mayor Phil Wallace, who is planning to send a gift to the couple. "I'm sure everybody in town is happy for them. This is happy news!"